


blaster training 101 with captain rex

by soljoe



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Other, based loosely after the blue shadow virus arc where obi-wan tells rex jar jar needs blaster training, just two guys bein dudes! bein friends!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22157380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soljoe/pseuds/soljoe
Summary: jar jar binks needs blaster training. bad. although captain rex has a headache thinking about it, he agrees to help train him. and then a somewhat unlikely friendship blossoms!
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Jar Jar Binks, but like platonically
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28





	blaster training 101 with captain rex

“Alright. Now, hold the blaster like this. Make sure you’ve got a firm grip, there. And – and make sure your knees are steady. Ain’t much of a kick, but…” _But knowing you, you’ll find a way to slip onto your back and allow the blaster to tumble out of your hands, effectively ending your life on the battlefield in a dire situation._ “… you know, do it anyways. Just in case.”

“Theesa too many instructions.” Jar Jar commented warily, throwing Rex a nervous glance before attempting to replicate the stance he’d seen Rex do with such confidence several times before. “Okey-day. Whatsen I do now?” He asked.  
Rex crossed his arms, quirking a brow. “Now? You aim, and shoot.”   
After the Blue Shadow Virus incident, Rex couldn’t believe his ears when General Kenobi suggested that Jar Jar Binks, the Gungan representative from Naboo, learn to shoot for self-defense purposes. The representative was present in a lot of extremely hostile situations, that much was true… but the poor guy was so clumsy Rex secretly thought it more likely Jar Jar would accidentally shoot a friend than purposefully shoot an enemy. He couldn’t count the amount of times he’d seen the man trip, stumble, and fall. Putting a blaster in his hands just seemed to be asking for it. 

Yet maybe he was being a little too unfair. He watched keenly as Jar Jar hummed, outstretching his arms, closing one eye, and attempting to aim. He was being slow. _Careful_. Probably not how it’d be in an actually dangerous situation, but, hey. He was trying to make this one count, which was… admirable, maybe. Getting a real feel for it, taking it seriously. “Don’t lock your elbows like that. Keep ‘em loose, or you’ll hurt yourself.” Rex was saying, and almost chuckled at how it sounded like he was talking to a Shiny.  
Maybe if Jar Jar was as incompetent as he always assumed, he’d be long dead by now. After all, he talked about General Skywalker with the fondness of an old friend… sometimes going as far as to call him _“Ani”_ , which, when overheard by the boys, always started a quiet fit of giggles between them. _General Ani._ He was a nice guy, just not very bright, and certainly not fit for a warzone… albeit, Rex admired the effort such a normal Gungan could put forth. 

What woke Rex abruptly from his thoughts was the sound of a blaster shot, which always sent a rush of adrenaline through his veins when his guard was down. He turned his head, looking at the target. A catastrophic miss, and a sulking Jar Jar to match. “Meesa no liken how this feelin’ in my hands.” He said, removing one of his gangly, scaled hands and flexing the fingers, as if they were sore. “S’ like ... tingly. Muy muy unpleasant.”

“Good first try.” Rex attempted to assuage his worries, a little amused. It was always strange to hear talk from someone whose everyday life wasn’t the sound of gunfire and the feeling of a weapon in your hands. “What happened?”

“The noise scarin’ me!” Jar Jar continued, waving the blaster around a tad – until Rex reached out and put his hand over the back of Jar Jar’s for a millisecond, as if to say _stop doing that before you kill one of us._ “But yousa right – not much kick. Meesa expectin’ more, meesa bracin’ myself.”  
“Ah. Yep. That’ll getcha.” Rex said, pulling out the blaster pistol that matched the one in Jar Jar’s hands, which he was allowing him to borrow for this session. “You gotta keep it loose, but confident, see? On the field, you’re not gonna have time to stand still and be stiff.” He braced both hands on the pistol, looked at the target, and shot. Bullseye. He could probably do it without looking, in fact. 

When he turned back to Jar Jar, the Gungan’s mouth had fell open – he was staring in awe and astonishment. “Wow, Captain – yousa amazing!” He complimented.  
“Why don’t you try again?” Rex suggested, the smallest hint of warmth in his voice. “And watch out for the bang this time. I’d get you some noise cancellers, but…” He tilted his head, blinking at the other’s long, curtainesque ears. “I don’t think they come in Gungan.” 

“Ha! Meesa used to hearin’ that.” Jar Jar chuckled, before hyping himself up again with a little “okay” under his breath. He aimed the blaster again, turning his head to clarify with Rex and saying: “Like this?” to which Rex nodded an affirmation. It seemed like a moment where time stood still, where both men held their breaths waiting for that index finger to fully push on that trigger… and then, it came. Jar Jar handled it a little better this time (although on instinct his eyes flew shut the moment the noise happened, which Rex figured they’d work on), and they both quickly turned their heads to look at the target. 

It was far from the bullseye, closer to the abdomen, but a hit nonetheless -- and Jar Jar was smiling anyways. “Meesa hittin’ it!” He exclaimed, rejoicing, and then turned and enveloped Rex in an embrace – he wrapped his arms around him and picked him up off the ground like he didn’t weigh any more than a loth cat.   
“Okay, okay – yes, good job.” Rex assured him, squirming in the embrace, yet smiling a tad anyways. There was a sort of harmless innocence in Jar Jar’s reaction that was oddly amusing; the shot had been so bad, even the _freshest_ Shiny would laugh and tease at the concept of daring to feel pride over it. Yet despite the fact that Jar Jar, too, was enveloped in this state of war, war was not his world. It was not what he was born to do… he didn’t have to worry about excelling in it. Just surviving. Rex could only partly relate.

When Jar Jar set him down, Rex pressed a friendly hand against the taller man’s arm. “I think that’s enough for today, Representative Binks. At this rate, you’ll be shooting like a pro in no time.” He didn’t fully believe his own words, but hey, enough practice at it could make nearly anyone a decent shot. 

Jar Jar passed the blaster pistol back to Rex, who pocketed it neatly where it belonged on his hip – safe and sound. He grinned at the man across from him, saying, “Look, Captain – yousa smilin’! Dousen that mean yousa had a good time, too?”   
“Sure, Representative. Sure I did.” It wasn’t quite a lie. It was definitely less chaotic than the normal things he got to do day to day, and it wasn’t often he spent a lot of time with someone so … energetic, as Jar Jar was.   
“Dousen that mean weesa trainin’ again?” He asked, a twinge of hope in his voice.  
How could he say no to that face? Although the thought would've given him a headache yesterday, he was beginning to wonder about Jar Jar's potential. “Why not?” Rex chuckled. 

Jar Jar let out a little whoop of joy, giving Rex a friendly shake by the shoulder. As they left the shooting range in order to board their small, subtle escort back to the Senate building where Padme and Anakin respectively awaited their returns, Jar Jar said: “Captain, meesa thinking -- you know yousa can call me Jar Jar! Representative issa too long to say every time.”   
“I’m afraid that wouldn’t be quite appropriate for someone of my rank, sir,” Rex replied with a small, astonished laugh under his breath. 

“Yes, but yousa and meesa _bombad pallos._ ” He placed a hand over his chest, as if swearing an oath. “Meesa no tellin’ anybody iffen you do. Besides – yousa more than a Captain to me, anyways.”  
The words, in the most bizarre of ways, touched Rex. Kriff, was this how General Skywalker felt whenever, in the midst of battle, he heard Jar Jar call him Ani? He shook his head, knowing he was going to have to yield to this one. “Okay. Jar Jar.” He agreed, with a nod. “Then you can call me Rex.”   
“Rex.” Jar Jar agreed with a wide grin, and proffered a hand, which Rex chuckled and shook – as if they were meeting for the first time.

He was beginning to get the feeling that a couple of training sessions between bombad pallos might not be so bad after all.


End file.
